Monday, May 19, Tuesday, May 20 , Wednesday, May 21 , Thursday, May 22, Friday, May 23, Saturday, May 24 , Sunday, May 25

UPDATE: The opening date for Land of Illusion's Aqua Adventures has been POSTPONED to May 31.

Here's a look at the biggest, best and most interesting things happening in Cincinnati this week. With a stacked calendar like this, you're sure to find something to do.

Have an event you’d like us to know about? Submit it online at cincinnati.com/events, and we'll tell the world about it. Head to that same site to peruse our full calendar of events.

Monday, May 19

Lafayette interpreter.

Attend the ceremony to welcome Lafayette

Engage in Cincinnati history by participating in the bicentennial Lafayette celebration. Welcome Lafayette at the same place he arrived in 1825: the Riverfront Public Landing. An interpreter will portray Lafayette in period clothing and language, and Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney will give remarks.

Dress to impress at the Lafayette dinner and costume ball

Enjoy fine French cuisine and ballroom dancing (with an instructor). Keynote speaker is Julien Icher, president and founder of The Lafayette Trail Inc. Lafayette artifacts will be on display.

Traverse through Cincinnati's abandoned subway tunnels (vicariously, via a museum tour)

Cincinnati's abandoned subway tunnels on Central Parkway

What to do with the abandoned subway has been a much-debated topic. Learn more about the history of these tunnels by enjoying history talks and mini tours at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

Jam out to The Magnetic Fields

Stephin Merritt and his band perform the album "69 Love Songs" in full order during their 25th anniversary tour, with one half of the three-disc album performed each night.

Tuesday, May 20

Learn about Frances Wright, close friend to Lafayette

Can't get enough Lafayette history? Come to the second day of Lafayette festivities, where historians and podcasters Tristra Yeager and Eleanor Rust will speak about Frances Wright, a close friend of Lafayette’s who was born in Scotland in 1795, joined him on his Farewell Tour and settled in Cincinnati, where she died in 1852. Following presentations, a wreath-laying ceremony takes place at Frances Wright’s gravesite.

Details: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village. Free and open to the public. Link to RSVP: Annualcommunication.com.

Enjoy live jazz at Fountain Square

Jazz lovers, gather at Fountain Square to listen to this week's performer: Patsy Meyer.

Watch a Florence Y'alls baseball game

It's the season for baseball. Catch any of the Florence Y'alls vs. Gateway Grizzlies games this week.

Wednesday, May 21

Support Divas & Diamonds charity

Young professionals and arts lovers of all ages are invited to celebrate like a true diva with drinks, light bites, luxurious accessories and, of course, dazzling opera arias. Show your support by attending the Cincinnati Opera Young Professionals kickoff event for the 2025 Summer Festival.

Honor our veterans at the Welcome Home Rally

Come and be a part of this public celebration honoring our great nation's heroes.

Walk through a 'botanical fantastical' museum exhibit

Kim Radochia channels her love of botany into an immersive exploration of nature's mesmerizing patterns and movements in her exhibit, titled "Botanical Fantastical."

Details: noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Monday, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, Gallery Museum, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton. Runs through July 27. Included with park admission. Pyramidhill.org.

Thursday, May 22

Catch the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's May Festival

Enjoy the performances of Juanjo Mena, conductor, Renee Fleming, soprano, Rod Gilfry, baritone, with the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

See the performances of Juanjo Mena, conductor, Renee Fleming, soprano, Rod Gilfry, baritone, with the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Attend the RiverDays Festival

Get ready for big amusement rides, helicopter flights, live music, games, gambling and craft vendors. There will be a fireworks show on Saturday night, and who doesn't love a parade? Admission is free, so bring the whole family.

Learn about the activism of Vivian Browne (last weekend!)

"Vivian Browne: My Kind of Protest" is the first retrospective exhibition to examine American artist, activist and educator Browne. Featuring more than 100 works alongside ephemera documenting her activism and teaching work, the exhibition provides a deeper understanding of her pioneering and influential work at the intersection of race, gender, class and ecology. This will be the last weekend to catch this exhibit, so make sure you don't miss it.

Details: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown. Cincycac.org.

Catch some live theater, 'Late, A Cowboy Song'

Mary, always late and always married, meets a lady cowboy who exudes a taste of freedom Mary didn't even know she lacked. It's the story of one woman's education and her search to find true love outside the box. This play is a Ghostlight Stage Company presentation.

Friday, May 23

Shine bright like a diamond at Glam Fest

Celebrate Caribbean and African culture. This fest features music from C.O.V. ThaHopeDealr, FT Falc, MC Da Don, Cuttboi Wormm, Mook Tenracks, DJ Shawn Kelly and performances by Lady Warriors, House of Traction Dance Team, Cincinnati Double Dutch Rope Twisters, CCPA Lions Marching Pride and more. Enjoy unique vendors and food.

Light up the lake at Great Parks Spark in the Dark

Light up the lake at Great Parks Spark in the Dark event.

Illuminate the night by floating on glowing boats as the water glints and gleams. Explore the mysteries of space with the Cincinnati Astronomical Society and enjoy a night hike under the stars. From moths and moons to bats and bugs, there's so much to explore once the sun sets.

Details: 8-11 p.m., Miami Whitewater Forest, 9001 Mount Hope Rd, Harrison. Pre-registration is not required. Free. Glow boat rentals and refreshments available for purchase. Greatparks.org.

Learn about Black history from exhibits Faith & (in)Justice and In This Place

Come to opening weekend of Faith & (in)Justice. This new exhibition explores how religion has been both an inspiration for change and a tool to justify oppression. It traces America’s struggle for equity and the role of the country’s three largest religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – in that struggle. This national touring exhibition debuts in Cincinnati.

In This Place, the center's first new permanent exhibition in 15 years, is an immersive gallery exploring the historic significance of its location on the banks of the Ohio River, where many enslaved people self-liberating via the Underground Railroad took their first steps on free soil.

Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown. Runs May 23-Dec. 7. Freedomcenter.org.

Catch the Reds vs. the Chicago Cubs

Next up for the Reds: The Chicago Cubs.

Come out and cheer for your favorite Cincinnati baseball team this weekend. And don't forget Fireworks Friday!

See the opening of 'Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical'

You're invited to the soiree of the century: a new adaptation of Virginia Woolf's classic novel. This world premiere is reimagined for the stage as a musical with a sweeping neo-golden age score underpinned with contemporary folk pop.

Saturday, May 24

Get a bite to eat (or 5) at Taste of Cincinnati

If the Mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri, declared Cincinnati "one of the really cool food cities" with "next-level chefs," then you know you don't want to miss the Taste of Cincinnati festival. Back and bigger than ever, experience Taste's new as well as the tried-and-true foods that make the Greater Cincinnati area great. Stay for the entertainment and mingle with friends and family.

Details: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday, Fifth Street, Downtown. Free admission with plenty of food and drink available for purchase. Tasteofcincinnati.com.

Don't miss the end of All Else Pales 2: Uniting Community Through Art & Science

This will be the closing reception for this multidisciplinary art exhibition and community initiative focused on sustainability, environmental justice and climate change.

Cool off at Soak City's opening day

Soak City Waterpark at Kings Island has more than 50 water activities.

It's that time of the year again. Bust out your bikinis and swim trunks and take a trip to the much-anticipated summer season opening day. With over 50 water activities, including 40 water slides, there's enough thrills to spend a whole day at the waterpark. Make sure to ride the two attractions debuting this season: RiverRacers and Splash River Junction.

Make a splash at Aqua Adventures' opening day

UPDATE: The opening date for Land of Illusion's Aqua Adventures has been POSTPONED to May 31.

In addition to Soak City, Land of Illusion's Aqua Adventures Waterpark also opens this weekend. Make sure you get to a pool this weekend and catch some rays. Dive into over 100 challenging pieces on an inflatable floating obstacle course, featuring launch pads, cliffhangers, halfpipes and towering action stations.

Meet mermaids at the aquarium

Come to the opening of the Mermaids Make Waves special event at Newport Aquarium.

Your favorite shimmering stars of the sea glide and twirl through the water with their tropical fish friends as part of the Mermaids Make Waves special event.

Details: daily except Tuesdays, Newport Aquarium, 1 Levee Way, Newport. Runs May 24-June 22. Included with admission. Newportaquarium.com.

Attend the International Freedom Conductor Awards gala at the Aronoff

This year's inductees include Opal Lee, Lonnie G. Bunch III, Toni Morrison and Isabel Wilkerson. There will be a special moment celebrating founding director Carole and Edwin Rigaud, and former president and CEO Francie & John Pepper. There will be live music from Cincinnati Opera, Adrian Dunn and Mali Music.

Enjoy free, live music at Westwood Town Hall Live

Come to the opening weekend of this event. This week's performer will be Jake Speed & the Freddies and will change every weekend.

Get your shopping on at Artisanfest

Buy local and support Cincy's small businesses at Artisanfest.

Sunday, May 25

Meet avian ambassadors at the Raptor Inc. open house

Robert Smith, a volunteer at Raptor, Inc. in Milford, talks to Price Hill Recreation Center camp kids about the Turkey Vulture.

Raptor's highly skilled educators will be available to welcome guests, lead tours, conduct educational programs with our avian ambassadors, share biological artifacts and answer questions. Guests will have the opportunity to visit various educational stations where they can see and learn about the birds of prey native to the Cincinnati area and the work that Raptor Inc. does to protect these magnificent creatures.